digger

(initial capital letter) Disparaging.. Also called Digger Indian. a member of any of several Indian peoples of western North America, especially of a tribe that dug roots for food.

4.

an Australian or New Zealand soldier of World War I.

5.

(initial capital letter) English History. a member of a group that advocated the abolition of private property and began in 1649 to cultivate certain common lands.

6.

Slang. a person hired by a scalper to buy tickets to a show or performance for resale by the scalper at inflated prices.

Origin of digger

late Middle English

1400-1450

late Middle English word dating back to 1400-50; See origin at dig1, -er1

Usage note

White settlers in the latter half of the 19th century used the term Digger to refer especially to the Ute, Paiute, or Western Shoshone, who foraged and dug in the ground for edible wild plants. The term implies that these Indians were considered to be primitive and animal-like.